Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Aftermath
by ChaosCaptain
Summary: In the ruined land of Evren Aven, a troubled Riolu, finds a strange Charmander named Walker. In the chaos they learn of an ancient and powerful evil that is seeping through the land, threatening to destroy what little hope Evren has left. Some can see the end coming others simply refuse to believe it, the only thing that is certain is that time is running out for Evren...
1. Prelude

_Dear readers, I don't own Pokemon._

* * *

**Chapter One**:

Part 1: "Seeds of hope..."

**"Perhaps it is better to be irresponsible and right than to be responsible and wrong."**

― Winston Churchill

Aven yawned quietly, slowly rising from her makeshift bed of dead leaves. With her back aching from her poor excuse for a night's sleep, Aven found longing for the days when she had been graced with a proper bed and a loving house. The forest around her was exactly the same as it had been the night before. Satisfied that no one had gone through her small patch, she glanced down briefly at a small seashell pendant lying on top of her tiny, blue-furred chest. The Riolu felt a wave of relief flow through her troubled mind when she saw the white shell still firmly secured to its worn strand of twine.

Composing herself, she then went around collecting various objects surrounding the small pile of dead shrubbery that had served as her bed that night. Her mind drifted while she worked. As usual, the pendant both comforted her yet reminded her of what she had lost. Before her mind could go into backtrack mode, she forced herself to focus on the task at hand and continued to pack her belongings into a small brown satchel while checking to see that all her possessions had found their way into the worn bag. Aven glanced at her lonely collection of items one last time to be sure everything was present; her map, a few spare rags (sadly, all that remained of her last defense scarf), various seeds all packed tightly into a silky, white pouch, a dried Oran berry, and finally, the two apples she had found the day before. Despite the melancholy mindset that had been her only companion for the past 11 months, seeing the two shining, red morsels she could enjoy throughout the day warmed her heart. Her brief ray of elation evaporated like a puddle on the sun, however, when she remembered that she would have to find more food to ensure that she wouldn't go hungry the next day.

With her gloom and sadness quickly returning, Aven began another day. Another day of the long and uneventful trip that had become her life. Another day of trying her hardest to keep her mind set on her goal, even if she wasn't entirely sure what it was. "Have to keep moving," she muttered to herself as if the words could brace her against the trials that were to come…

...

Deep in a thick patch of trees nestled in the center of a dense stretch of forest, a Pokemon was crumpled in a smoldering heap. The Charmander's pale, yellow chest rose and fell with each shallow breath. The ground around him was scorched black and littered with ashes. The shriveled and frail plants that had survived whatever damage that had taken their less fortunate neighbors leaned away from the fire-type.

Slowly, the Pokemon began to regain the first traces of consciousness. The quiet murmur of the wind brushing against the tree leaves and the forest floor and the soft, rhythmic pound of his own pulse whispered together in his mind.

Next came the first feelings of his small, shivering body: the chill of the air around him and the warmth of the burnt earth beneath him. The sensations came hesitantly at first, but soon his whole body was racked with shivering. It seemed as if the cold and heat were battling over who would claim him as their own.

After some time, he found the strength to open his eyes and was greeted by the sharp contrast of vibrant green treetops against a cloudy black sky.

While slowly composing an understanding of the world around him, his mind began to form the first real question: _Where am I?_ The Charmander looked around curiously, doing his best to sit up while ignoring his aches and pains. Even under the fire Pokemon's careful inspection, the forest seemed unwilling to forfeit any secrets. The land he was in was a very curious one indeed, as the unusual landscape was dotted with dead trees and withered patches of other plant life. The dying plants would have been odd enough on their own, but the truly mind boggling feature was the patches of vibrant plant life disrupting the somber atmosphere of dread the decaying forest held. It almost seemed that life and death were fighting for control of the forest; as it was however, the captivating mystery of the land was lost on him.

Sighing, the Charmander forced his aching body into what could be loosely defined as a standing position. Almost immediately however, he was greeted with an odd sense of insecurity... something was... _off._ He quickly inspected himself trying to tell what had felt so wrong, then he was struck with something that his entire consciousness seemed to find... _wrong._

"I'm a Charmander..?" he asked himself, racking his brain for an answer to a riddle that he couldn't begin to comprehend. Sadly no such answer came to him; in fact, nothing came. This served only to elevate his current level of panic; desperately he searched for at least one memory to grasp onto, a single shred of whatever it was that he had lost.

"Walker," he muttered to himself, "my name is Walker." Taking his new revelation, he spun in a full circle to observe his surroundings. "And I'm a Charmander..." Walker ignored the war between the nagging voices in the back of his mind and his instincts and tried to focus only on the task at hand; but what was that?

The Charmander thought for a second and decided that whatever he needed, it wasn't in the clearing. Pushing all his doubts and uncertainties aside for later, he picked a direction and started moving. His steps were clumsy at first, but after stumbling a few times his instincts kicked in and assisted him slightly. He soon gained confidence and proceeded with a marginal level of success. Walker went on into the forest; he didn't know where he was going, yet he knew there was nothing for him in the clearing. Suppressing his panic and confusion for the time being, the fire Pokemon pressed onward in search of help.

...

**_Crack!_** The sound of a dry branch snapping in two resonated through the forest, nearly scaring Aven out of her wits. "Doom Seeds," she cursed to herself under her breath, diving behind a tree for cover. _Please don't be a wild Pokemon,_ she prayed silently to herself and any Legendaries who might have been kind enough to listen. Cautiously, she peered around the thick oak that she was hiding behind and was greeted with an unusual sight. In front of her standing between two trees, was a Charmander.

He looked very odd for a Charmander however; he was uncomfortably skinny in a kind of way that sent an empathetic shiver down her spine. It was clear he was suffering the consequences of malnourishment. There was also a series of deep crimson stripes running down the length of his tail. She had seen markings like them before on other Pokemon, but they didn't help the Charmander look any less peculiar. His tail was an oddity in itself, it hung awkwardly at his side inches above the forest floor as if he didn't quite know where to place it.

Upon seeing her, the Pokémon tilted its reptilian head to one side very obviously confused. He opened his mouth to speak and called out to her. "You there... _Riolu,_" he said, the last word obviously causing him some difficulty. "Do you know where I can find someone to help me?" His voice sounded hoarse and pained; it was almost like conversation was some unusual and foreign activity for the Charmander.

_Something about this guy seems really strange,_ Aven thought to herself, noting his unusual behavior. _On the other hand he is the only non-wild I've met in weeks that hasn't tried to mug me, so I should mind my manners,_ her mind argued.

"Sorry, you're out of luck. I don't think anyone lives within miles of here…" Trying to lead the Charmander into a conversation, she continued, "Let's get things out of the way. I'm Aven, and you are?" she ended with what she hoped was a polite tone.

The response she received from the orange Pokémon was not what she had wanted however. Upon hearing her response, a look of horror replaced the mask of confusion and desperation he had worn only moments before. Stumbling backwards he took off on all fours, running away from her.

"Wait, I'm sorry!" she called after the obviously delusional Charmander. Not wanting to miss her first opportunity to have a conversation in ages, even if it was with a less than sane fire-type, the Riolu gave chase.

She dashed after the retreating Charmander, his fiery tail making an effective beacon in the dark forest. Leaping over a fallen tree, she noted that the fire-type was having a very hard time running. The Pokemon seemed dropping to all fours for short periods before returning to a stumbling two footed dash.

As she skidded over a patch of wet muddy earth and narrowly avoided falling to the ground, her short-lived pursuit met its abrupt end. The Charmander had taken the first opportunity to trip over a stray root from one of the forests numerous dying trees. Seizing the chance that fate had given her, the Riolu jumped and landed a foot away from the still frantic fire Pokémon.

"What in the name of Arceus is wrong with you?" she yelled at the frightened Pokémon, giving up the polite approach entirely. She paced over to the panting Charmander, doing little to hide her angry disappointment.

"I-I d-don't..." the cowering Pokémon responded, still on the ground with his voice cracking and his eyes quick and frantic.

"What?" she responded, a hint of frustration still present in her voice.

"I d-don't know... I can't r-remember anything..." the Charmander replied in a quiet, scared voice. Unsure of how to respond, Aven simply stared back at the Pokemon, now truly concerned for his well-being.

This response took Aven completely off guard. Choosing her words carefully, the Riolu slowly replied, "... I do not want to hurt you. Please let me help." Aven stressed the tone of concern in her voice. She watched as the terror faded from the Pokémon's eyes replaced by something much harder to place; was it confusion?

Seeing that the Charmander would not respond, or quite possibly couldn't out of fear, she forfeited her efforts and gave up on the fire-type. Turning to leave, she could not help the cascade of sadness that overtook her like a black flood of despair; just as always, she had been denied the one thing she truly wanted; a friend.

"Wait!" a voice called out to Aven, she turned to find the Charmander now on his feet. "I'm Walker..."

Aven smiled for the first time in a long time. Maybe fate was finally shining on her.

...

Walker stared down at the plump red fruit he held in his hands. Somehow he knew it was an apple, but when he tried to remember how it tasted, his mind drew a total blank. He cautiously took a small bite and was greeted by a very sweet and pleasant taste. He eagerly took another bite and continued to scarf down the delicious fruit until there was only a small white core left.

Aven, only a few bites into her own apple, laughed slightly. "Hungry?" she asked, a chuckle hidden in her voice. _Arceus,_ she had missed laughing like that.

"Hey, as far as I'm concerned, this is the first time I've ever eaten," Walker said defending himself, also amused. He had only known the blue Pokémon for a brief while, but he already felt like they had become best friends. It had not taken long for the ragtag twosome to strike up a conversation and before they knew it, the afternoon had crept up on them, or at least Walker thought it was the afternoon; the sky had remained unnervingly black and bleak throughout their walk. _Clouds,_ Walker thought to himself, trying to explain the phenomenon.

"So you can't remember _anything_?" Aven asked Walker for the umpteenth time, breaking Walker's stream of thought as she took another bite from her apple.

"Nothing at all, except waking up in this forest and then running into you. I know that there should be more than that. but when I try to find it, all that I find is emptiness..." Walker responded, searching his brains for more information, but to no avail.

"But you did remember your name?" she inquired curiously, still trying to make sense of the things the Charmander had said throughout the day.

"Yup," the fire-type simply responded.

"Well that means that you could still have some other memories and not even know it!" The Riolu exclaimed excitedly, thrilled by the prospect of unraveling her companion's mysterious, veiled past.

"Yeah, maybe..." for some reason, the thought of having memories of his locked away from him, hidden in the deeps of his own mind, didn't sit well with Walker. The idea made him feel like he was a stranger to himself.

After a moment of silence, Aven tried to restart their conversation. "So you really don't remember anything about apples?" she teased her new companion, trying to get his mind of the subject of his lost memories. It was clear to her that the mystery of his past bothered and maybe even scared Walker.

"Nope, I've got no clue... just know my name..." the Charmander responded, obviously deep in thought.

"Too bad," the fighting-type said, trying her best to be sympathetic and positive at the same time. The odd pair walked in silence for a while; Walker still immersed in his own private musings, Aven afraid that she had crossed some sort of line when casually interrogating the Charmander.

Aven was searching her mind for a new topic of conversation when Walker posed the question she had been dreading all day. "So, where are we going?"

Groaning inwardly, Aven tried to answer the best way she could. "Listen, I trust you and I want to keep traveling with you. But there are some things I just can't tell you, at least not yet. But our destination... well, you'll know soon enough." While he seemed content with the answer Aven noticed a quickly hidden look of disappointment cross her partner's face. She hated the level of secrecy she had to put up with.

The rest of Aven's day passed in a similar fashion; the pair of misfit-adventurers talking the day away and making progress at a slow and leisurely pace. Aven was in the middle of explaining how a Defense Scarf worked when she noticed a tree adorned with a multitude of pink fruit. She stopped mid sentence and gestured for her partner to remain silent. The Charmander obeyed without question, getting behind a nearby tree with her, looking at her curiously.

"That tree over there is full of Pecha Berries, and Pecha Berries are a great food," she started in a hushed whispering tone. "But they also usually mean wild Pokémon are nearby. So we might have to battle... Are you ready for that?" she asked her companion.

Walker was shocked by Aven's request. "Battle!" he responded in a fearful but still whispered voice. "I don't know anything about fighting; I might have never even battled before!"

"It's easy! Just follow my lead if anyone attacks," Aven encouraged him, peering around the trunk of their tree, eager to get more food. The fire Pokémon cautiously followed suit getting beside her and advancing towards the Pecha Tree, not wanting to look like a coward to his new friend.

To the pair's pleasure, there were no signs of other Pokémon. The Riolu and the Charmander went to work, each picking a generous armful of pink berries from the tree. Walker had soon gathered a small pile of the pink fruit at the knotted foot of the large tree. They smelled so nice that Walker had to stop himself from eating a few before his work was done.

Walker was about to pick his last fruit from the tree when an odd noise reached his ears. As he was trying to discern exactly what the noise was, he was knocked to the ground violently and was greeted by a sharp pain in the back of his head.

Walker looked up from his position to see a small brown bird turn in the air and then fly straight at him, talons outstretched. Just before the sharp claws made contact with him, his instincts kicked in and he rolled quickly to the side. The fire-type collided with the trunk of the tree painfully, just barely avoiding being hit.

Aven must have heard the commotion because she was now at Walker's side trying to help him up.  
He gladly accepted her assistance as the bird Pokemon turned to attack again.

Aven dropped into a fighting stance beside him, "Walker, that's a Spearow. They are _very_ territorial. We'll have to fight it off," Aven stated in an almost commanding tone.

As it came closer, he prepared to dodge when he realized that it was no longer aiming at him. The bird Pokémon was going for Aven. She attempted to jump out of the Spearow's path but it proved too fast for the Riolu. It's sharp bleached-white talons grazed across her small chest, drawing blood and knocking her to the ground with a dull thud.

Feeling a shocking surge of anger, Walker quickly decided that he wanted nothing more than to burn the flying-type to a crisp. "Hey, you pathetic excuse for a bird! Come and get me!" he called out to the Pokémon, surprised and even slightly unnerved by the lack of fear in his voice.

Whether the wild Pokémon understood his words or not, it certainly seemed to be further enraged by Walker's taunting. As the Spearow turned to attack him Walker's new-found bravery quickly vanished upon realizing that he knew no attacks. When the Spearow was only a few seconds away, he did the only thing that came to his mind and grabbed the bird by its scaly, taloned, feet.

Unfortunately Walker's tactic did not stop the Pokémon's momentum as its talons collided with his chest. He winced as they dug in, drawing blood. Despite his pain, Walker held tight to the shocked Spearow and slammed it as hard as he could into the trunk of the Pecha Tree, rattling several of it's namesake fruit free with the impact. He dropped the bird to the ground at the base of the tree and it quickly flew off, presumably to a tree free of other Pokémon.

Looking down at himself, Walker was greeted with a strong wave of nausea, the area of his torso the Spearow's claws had collided with was dyed a deep red and a strange ache inside his head told him that the blow the bird Pokémon had given his head had been much worse than he thought. As his vision began to fade into a colorless fuzz, he felt his legs give out. The last thing he saw was Aven standing over him, clutching her still beading wounds with one small paw with a look of horror on her face.


	2. Dreams and Dungeons

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Walker woke suddenly, gasping for air as if he had been holding his breath for hours. He was drenched in cold sweat with his heart pounded fiercely and relentlessly in his chest. Looking around, he was greeted with a very unusual environment; he was in the middle of a vast, barren desert. Far in the distance, he could see the dark purple and black stains of distant mountains against a shockingly blue never-ending sky. The mountains stretched out across his vision, covering most of the horizon and giving him the feeling of being inside an immense bowl. A harsh crimson sun was setting in the sky, burning with a relentless fury.

Despite having found himself in the middle of a desert, all Walker felt was… cold. All over his body he felt a tingling numb. It wasn't painful, but he quickly decided that he didn't like it. As he began to question why he wasn't slowly baking in his own private desert, the memories hit him; Aven, the Pecha Berries, the Spearow, and their battle… wait, _the battle_!

_AM I DEAD!? _Walker's mind screamed out in panic. As if it was responding to his thoughts, an odd sound flowed smoothly through the air. it almost sounded like… music… Walker turned frantically in a rapid circle, trying to find the source of the noise, but whatever had made the sound was lost in the rippling waves of heat rising from the earth. Then it came again, clearer this time, sounding like a silvery knife sliding through the silent desert air. He spun towards the setting sun, pinpointing the direction that the phantom noises were coming from.

There, far in the distance outlined against the glow of the descending red orb of the sun. Whatever it was the image was warped by the deserts rising heat waves. Walker couldn't distinguish its exact shape, all he could see was a black streak against the setting sun. The image was the only thing he had seen thus far that broke the endless plane of desert sand however, so he ran for it in a mad stumbling dash. His clawed feet slipped beneath him, struggling for traction against the fine sand of the desert.

The more he ran, the more peculiar his situation became. At first he began to feel an unexplainable gravity pulling him backwards, tugging his feet through the sand. It grew in strength each time he took a step forward. Despite this, he made slow but definite progress against the mysterious force of the desert. But then he started to feel a strange prickling down his spine. It began with a small sensation like icy trickles of water running down his neck, but like a growing storm, it quickly intensified until he felt as if he was being pierced with millions of frozen needles all over his body.

As his pain grew unbearable, the terrified fire-type let out a tortured cry. Ignoring the pain he pushed forward defiantly. The strain of his efforts began to show on the environment around him as he forced his way onward, the gravity that had previously seemed to be signaling him out was now throwing a thick sheet of sand at him. The sand stung, but he pushed onward, letting it fly past him into the endless tan landscape. The icy pain had grown into a numb cacophony of agony, sinking down straight to his very core. As he pushed onward, now managing mere inches against the desert's antagonism, he could almost make out the distant figure.

Walker redoubled his efforts, struggling to gain any headway now. The swirling torrent of sand that had formed around him was now an all out gale, the winds roared at a nearly deafening volume as if they were determined that the Charmander would not reach his goal. The figure was agonizingly close now, then Walker felt something strange... It started with a simple throbbing pain in his head, but much like the wind and the pain each step that took him further into the foreign world intensified the pain. Just when he felt that he truly could not take anymore the figure was close enough for him to see, but something was wrong. The figure... it was… vanishing. He watched as it slowly crumbled into sand blowing back in the wind, blowing away to be burried in the desert for all eternity.

Completely dumbfounded, Walker fell backwards, finally overtaken by the piercing, icy torture and sharp pelting sand. He wanted it all to end, whatever this was he wanted it gone. His prayers were soon answered; with one last almighty wind, the force of the desert threw him across the sand and the world around him melted away as his consciousness faded once more…

* * *

Aven sat on a small rock in a forest clearing, fretting over her fallen companion. She wanted so deeply not to care. She **needed **not to care, but she couldn't bring herself to desert the poor Charmander. No matter how much her mind told her she had to leave, she could never go through with it, even if it was for the _"greater good."_

She had done the best she could with the wounded fire-type, dressing his injuries properly and spreading a paste made from various berries she had managed to find over the worst cuts to prevent infection. She had decided to place him on a small sterile bed of dead grass, but he still hadn't woken once in the day that had passed since the Spearow's attack. And, to make matters worse, he had recently began shuddering in his sleep and moaning pathetically.

Aven trudged over to Walker to check his condition. She apprehensively placed her paw over the fire-lizard's forehead to check for an increase in temperature that could suggest a fever, a task made only harder by the fact that Walker was a fire-type and would normally be above typical fever temperatures in the first place. When she briefly made contact with Walker's forehead, she was shocked to be greeted by a harsh cold.

Completely taken off guard by the cry, Aven ripped her blue hand away from the freezing Charmander. As if his peace had been disturbed by her brief contact Walker let out an agonized cry. As the yell grew louder, Aven desperately tried to wake him by shaking him lightly, but this only worsened his cries. She quickly released her grip on Walker. She was terrified and out of options.

As if in response to her, Walker awoke with a start and shot into a sitting position, panic and fear visible in his eyes.

"Walker…" Aven said, her voice breaking with relief. "I thought I was going to lose you…" Aven quickly stopped herself, fearing what she had almost said too much to put words to it. Suppressing tears, the Riolu threw herself at the still confused Charmander, hugging him gingerly but still tightly.

"What, what happened Aven?" Walker asked, hugging the blue and black Pokemon back gingerly.

"You…just had a nightmare," she responded letting him go and staring intently into his blue eyes, hoping that they would contain evidence to dispel the nagging fears dancing in the back of her mind. As Walker stared back into his partner's shockingly red eyes, he could tell something was wrong, but he decided not to ask Aven in her current distressed state.

* * *

It had not taken long for the pair to pack up their humble collection of belongings and leave the makeshift campsite behind. They fell into the same routine again, simply walking and exchanging idle conversation, both deliberately not acknowledging the events of their morning; Aven deciding not to inform her partner of the blind terror that had gripped her and Walker concealing the details of his enigmatic nightmare.

As they progressed , two things caught Walker's attention; first, he noticed the sheer vastness of the forest he was in and began to wonder if it _ever_ ended. He also was once again bothered by the overcast sky. But as he did last time, he simply credited it to clouds.

While the pair continued their slow trek through the dying forest, they talked about many things, including various attacks Aven thought Walker would be capable of learning and the best battle strategies for him to use. While the conversation did interest him, Walker was greatly distracted by a gradual change in his surroundings; the trees were slowly encroaching onto what had once been a spacious pathway through the forest turning it into a narrow alley, fit to only be traveled by a few Pokemon standing shoulder to shoulder.

Noticing that the trees around him grew thicker and closer together with each step, Walker was struck with an odd thought. "Where are the rest of the wild Pokemon?" he asked out loud, realizing that the Spearow they had encountered earlier could not have been the only Pokemon in the area.

"Well most of them live in Mystery Dungeons," Aven started. "… but you don't know what those are do you?" she finished after a short pause. Walker simply shook his head in a slightly embarrassed fashion, feeling sheepish for not knowing, something Aven obviously considered to be commonly known.

Oblivious to her partner's embarrassment, Aven went on "Well, Mystery dungeons are these strange places where things like time and space don't work quite right; they're actually a lot like mazes. Inside, you can find all sorts of treasure and other fantastic things," she said with a excited twinkle in her eyes. "But Dungeons are also homes for many wild Pokemon. Unfortunately, they're kinda dangerous to travel through. Exploration Teams however used to adventure through them, though..." She continued to describe Mystery Dungeons with an eager passion for a while before breaking off suddenly, as if something had distracted her.

Uncomfortably conscious of the creeping walls of trees forming on either side of them, Walker posed another question. "What do you mean by teams _used to_ explore them?"

Aven paused a little before answering. "Well with everything that has been happening recently…" But once again she broke off, her expression made it apparent to Walker that something was bothering her.

"What is it, Aven?" Walker inquired rather forcefully as the trees grew ever closer, elevating his feeling of claustrophobia with each step.

"Walker, you know how we were talking about mystery dungeons?" She responded slowly, her voice shaking slightly despite an obvious effort on her part to keep it sounding level and calm.

"Yes…" Walker replied uncertainly.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but… we're in one…" Aven tried hard to suppress the panic in her voice but her efforts did very little, her voice wavered with barely contained panic.

Walker quickly spun around to find that the path they had been taking had closed off completely. Solid walls of trees had formed in every singly direction, forming a rough room around the two adventurers, Walker felt the sinking dread that comes with being tricked.

Trying not to panic, Walker began to search around him for an exit from the room they were trapped in; looking back he found that Aven wasn't moving. "Aven!" he shouted, "We need to keep going!" The Riolu quickly snapped out of her trance-like state and, despite looking panicked, began to help her partner look for a path to follow, doing little to conceal the shaking quaver of fear in her movements.

Within no time, they were headed down a narrow path. While leading ,Walker pushed against the walls several times in an experimental fashion but found that they wouldn't give. He was a little annoyed at the lack of help he was receiving from Aven, but his annoyance was far outweighed by his concern; she had been very distant since they had accidentally entered the Mystery Dungeon, Walker was slightly alarmed at how quickly she had lost her confidence. Under less urgent conditions,Walker would have tried to find out what was wrong with Aven, but he pushed all inquiries out of his mind for the time being.

As they entered another room, Walker let out a tremendous sigh of relief when he saw a pair of ascending stairs at the other side of the area. Normally, he would have found something like stairs in a forest to be odd, but he was just thankful for a way out of the dungeon. Grabbing Aven by the hand, he jogged to the base of the enigmatic staircase.

When he stepped forward to climb the first stair, the Dungeon around him faded into an abyss of black. Within a split second, however the back had dissolved away. Walker stumbled forward awkwardly, surprised to find himself and Aven standing in another forest chamber with no stairs in sight. Walker looked quizzically to his partner for an answer, still frightened by her continued silence.

"Most dungeons have multiple levels…" the blue and black Pokemon responded in a shaky and hushed voice. Walker then realized that she was still holding onto his arm very tightly and standing close to his side, as if their proximity to each other provided protection from the Mystery Dungeon's curse. Deciding to let Aven cling to him for a while longer, Walker headed down the only path out of their room.

After a few empty rooms, the pair finally found the stairs at the end of a long spacious corridor. Just as they began to head towards them, something caught Walkers eye. In the corner was a small brown and tan Pokemon. Signaling for Aven to remain quiet, he slowly began to edge along the opposite wall towards the stairs. Aven did the same, still clutching his wrist much the same way a sinking Pokemon would hold a lifeline.

To the pair's immense relief, they reached the stairs without incident. Unfortunately as soon as the next floor of the dungeon materialized, they were greeted with a growling black Pokemon. "Poochyena." Aven muttered fearfully.

Before Walker could formulate a plan, the black beast leaped at him, it's fanged mouth open in a feral growl. The Charmander stumbled backwards out of shock, losing Aven's grip, and fell painfully on his tail. Throwing his arms quickly in front of him for protection, he waited for the blow, but it never came; instead, he heard a dull thump accompanied by a pathetic whimper. He looked up to see Aven standing over the Poochyena, one hand finishing a downward arc presumably having stopped the black Pokemon from attacking her partner moments before. Walker slowly rose to his feet. Nothing was badly damaged other than his sense of pride.

When it was apparent that the Poochyena wouldn't be waking for quite some time, the two continued through the dungeon, Aven quickly retreating into her previous quiet and frightened state of mind. As his elevated heart rate fell, Walker couldn't help but wonder how a battler as talented as her could be so frightened of a Mystery Dungeon, especially when she had shown no fear when confronting the Spearow they had angered the other day. She had sounded so enthralled by exploration and adventure when they were talking earlier and she was so scared and timid now. Something seemed very off to Walker.

The rest of the floor progressed with relative ease and they soon reached the stairs. Walker stepped onto them cautiously, fearing what would come next. As the next floor materialized around them they were both pleasantly surprised to find themselves in an open ended clearing, the dungeon was over. The rag-tag duo celebrated with a quick hug, both immensely relieved to be safe.

As they began to exit the clearing, Walker noticed how the fear Aven had possessed inside the dungeon was slowly melting away. In spite of himself, he found it nearly impossible to not smile slightly with the satisfaction of having successfully completed his first dungeon fresh in his mind. Despite this however, something felt _off_ … He couldn't place it but there was a heavy feeling of tension saturating the air.

Like a response to his thoughts, a snide voice called out from behind them. "Hello there." Whipping around to locate the speaker, Walker found himself face to face with a white and red Pokemon.

As Walker and Aven dropped into fighting positions, Aven apparently having regained her adventurous spirit upon leaving the dungeon, the creature advanced forward in a deceptively non-aggressive manner. "Relax," he said, Walker realizing from the voice that the Pokemon must have been a male. "There won't be any trouble… if you do what I say." The Pokemon finished with a sly grin, his voice aloof and practically dripping with condensation.

"Zangoose, their notorious tricksters and double crossers." Aven muttered, although Walker wasn't quite sure if it was for his benefit or hers. "Do what _we _say and leave now, otherwise there _will _be trouble for you!" Aven called out bravely, her personality change from earlier surprising Walker yet again.

"Oh aren't we a feisty one?" the Zangoose taunted, while Walker silently doubted that the Pokemon could sound more pretentious than he did now. "I might find you two threatening even if I didn't know how weak you both are…"

"We may not look like much, but we are more than enough to beat scum like you!" Walker taunted back, surprised at how convincing his mock confidence sounded.

"Humph, big words from a cowardly Pokemon. Aren't you forgetting about your humiliating performance against that Poochyena?" The Zangoose replied, grinning with sick satisfaction, seeing the perplexed looks of his opponents he continued, "Didn't you find it a little suspicious how empty that dungeon was?"

"You were following us?!" Aven exclaimed in shocked disbelief, piecing the situation together in her mind.

"Absolutely, it's the perfect way to weed out who is good prey and who isn't. All I have to do is clear out that dungeon and see how well Pokemon fare against the few wilds I leave behind." There was a hint of pride in the Pokemon's voice making him sound like a child looking for praise after discovering the answer to a riddle. Walker felt a pang of embarrassment when he thought of how he must have looked when he was nearly defeated by the Poochyena.

"If you want anything from us, you'll have to fight us for it!" Aven yelled back with barely suppressed rage in her voice, furious over having been tricked by a low-life thief.

Shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly and flashing the two a passive smile, the Zangoose reluctantly said, "So be it…"

What came next was almost too fast for Walker to comprehend; the white and red Pokemon leapt for him with massive claws outstretched. Before the fire Pokemon had time to fully think, Walker jumped to the side instinctively, shoving out a balled fist aggressively at the white blur passing within inches of him as he went. To his surprise his punch landed, with a thump that satisfied Walker on a primal level, knocking the Zangoose into a sloppy roll. Unfortunately, the Pokemon was up within moments without any significant signs of damage.

Jumping forward once more, he made another attempt to attack Walker, this time being halted by two well-aimed hits from Aven, who had snapped out of her state of shock at the Zangoose's sudden attack.

She joined Walker by his side while their foe rose to his feet once more. As the Zangoose made another attempt to attack one of them, Walker stumbled clumsily in a failed attempt to pull off another hit like earlier and paid dearly with a shallow gash on his shoulder. He was thrown to the ground by the force of the impact.

Without stalling at all the Zangoose then managed to strike Aven forcefully across the side. Even though his sharp claws didn't make contact, Aven was flung backwards onto the leaf strewn forest floor. Wasting no time, the Zangoose crouched low to the ground and pounced, aiming to land directly above Walker. Walker saw the black claws positioned for impact with his chest. With the red and white Pokemon a split second from impact, Walker kicked his legs out in a swift and forceful movement. His clawed feet made direct impact with the Zangoose's torso, throwing the unsuspecting Pokemon backwards.

Filled with new vigor from his successful maneuver, Walker leapt to his feet and dashed after the Zangoose, Aven doing the same. To Walker's relief the fighting-type didn't appear to be hurt from the hit she had taken moments before.

The Zangoose however, was ready, with the assistance of one final burst of adrenaline. He dodged a hit from Aven, executing a sweeping kick in the process and throwing her to the ground again. Enraged by the attack on his partner, Walker threw a fist forward letting out a feral cry of rage. Yet again the Zangoose's second wind allowed him to dodge out of the way just in time.

Wasting no time, the Zangoose grabbed the Charmander by the throat with one hand while he was distracted by his failed attack and slammed the fire Pokemon into the gnarled trunk of an oak tree. As the Zangoose readied the other hand for a finishing blow, Walker began to feel ill, a rising cramp was forming in his stomach.

"Heh, looks like I misjudged you two. You put up a fair fight," the Zangoose said with a twisted grin, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "But you've got a lot to learn before you could ever defeat me!" Walker's feeling of internal pain intensified as the choke-hold he was under began to make his vision fade. Grinning maniacally, the Zangoose spit into Walker's face, trying to milk his victory for all it was worth. The pain in Walker's chest was suddenly unbearable; desperately he opened his mouth in a silent cry of agony. As he screamed mutely, the fire-type expelled a massive cloud of black smoke into the face of his attacker.

Releasing Walker, the Zangoose stumbled backwards, one arm covering his eyes, the other flailing wildly. Walker fell forward gasping for breath, unable to make the most of his opponent's temporary blindness. Aven however was. Obviously recovered from the damage she had previously sustained, the fighting-type struck the Zangoose as hard as she could in the back of his white head; the shear force of the attack threw the unprepared Pokemon to the ground. After one feeble attempt to rise the Zangoose fell to the ground pathetically, for the time being, incapacitated.

Walker rose to his feet slowly, feeling the aches and pains of the battle, but more prominently the joy of victory. He found Aven by his side and for whatever reason felt an immense feeling of warmth. While he didn't remember ever having experienced it, he recognized the alien sensation; _this is what it felt like to have a friend by your side. A loyal companion._


End file.
